Ugol' Ochag Stew (Oo-goal Uh-chagk)
"To create is to be divine. But that is not a divinity hoarded by the gods. No, we as mortal men are given the tools and materials to create ourselves, so that we might join the gods in their divinity. Such is the charge of us mortals in the world."Ugol' Ochag is a stew native to the far arctic north of Magnum Opus. Made using venison and the unique texture of the Magnian Caribou's dried stomach, it's a dish that incorporates the hearty vitamins and simplicity of stew with careful preparation of the local el'fbatat, an energizing and filling tuber that is otherwise very touchy to prepare. The dish has been an important staple in the north for generations, as not only is the stew easy to make, with Magnian Caribou immensely populous in the north, but also because both the stew and the wrapped el'fbatat are very easily portable, making them a potential life-saving provision for hunters of the harsh snowy plains."...But aren't you just putting a wrapped tuber in soup?""ITS STEW AND IT'S AN IMPORTANT EXAMPLE!"
History
It is unknown where the dish got its beginning, as it's been made in the far north of Magnum Opus for millennia. However, a story is passed around featuring a stock folk tale character, Putat, a clumsy and ditzy yet well-meaning character.
This particular story begins with Putat coming home from a bonfire quite drunk, as he always talks a bigger game than he can handle. As he gets home, however, he suddenly remembers he promised to cook dinner while his three brothers went hunting, and they'd be back any minute! He scampers around the house, sporadically finding ingredients to throw into a rapidly made fire. At first, he's able to throw everything in and is cockily satisfied with himself, but at the smell of burning, he realizes that he accidentally threw the pouch of herbs intended to soak in the broth into the fire instead.
Seeing the torches of the hunting party approaching, and rapidly fixes his error, taking a dried caribou stomach that had been lying around and quickly plucking four El'fbatat's from the ground, figuring that herbs and batat both come from the soil, so they must taste alike enough! Making sure to carefully place it into the boiling pot, Putat sits pleasantly stirring it, while his brothers file in and grill him for his obvious drunkenness, and the mess in the house.
As they sit down to eat, Bryuzzhat, the most nagging of the brothers, pointed out that the stew lacked the flavor it should've, and furiously tore open the bag floating in the stewpot. Seeing a handful of steamed el'fbatat instead of his carefully selected herb pouch, he nearly flew into a frenzy at Putat before being calmed down by the others. As Bryuzzhat still raved about Putat's carelessness, Burchat, the laziest of the brothers, decided to poke at the el'fbatat, finding that its skin gave way easily, while its insides were still fluffy and soft.
As nothing roused Burchat more than good food, he rapidly scarfed down the delight of his batat, grabbing at the one meant for Bryuzzhat next before being caught by the sardonic sibling, who ate his own whole in furious impulsiveness so that Burchat couldn't touch it, but found his anger quelled by the savory infused vegetable, immediately apologizing for his quick anger towards Putat.
Smirennyy, the even-tempered sibling, chided Putat in a calmer manner about shirking responsibilities but praised him in kind for thinking quickly, and on their new delicacy among each other. The story ends by saying that the four brothers shared the event in various biased recollections, but the methodology of the stew stayed the same, and thus Ugol' Ochag was created.
Execution
It's very simple to make Ugol' Ochag stew. You begin with a bone and meat broth, usually of Magnian Caribou, boiling it and adding in your common vegetables. Carrots and potatoes are the most common, but other tubers and root vegetables go well with iron-rich meat. Once the main stew is finished, with seasonings and additions added, you take the dried Magnian Caribou stomach and wrap an El'fbatat within, making sure to tie it in a way that water won't get in. Place it within your stew and enjoy the main dish while the El'fbatat cooks.
The El'fbatat is a fickle vegetable. While it grows in the sheer cold of the vast north, it doesn't make itself easily edible. Boiling them is a fool's errand, as water destabilizes its starch content, making it rather mushy, roasting them takes very particular heat and timing lest it explodes, and trying to cut or dice it is exceedingly difficult with its tough outer skin. However, before the advent of various modern cooking appliances, the caribou stomach was the perfect way to cook it. The unique texture of the stomach lining meant that heat went through it easily, but it would disperse evenly throughout the space. At the same time, it's durable enough to not let any water through, often not even condensation, meaning that the El'fbatat keeps consistency and quality throughout the cooking process. It also doesn't hurt that the scent and flavors of the stew they cook in often get transferred as well.
In the modern day, the Ugol' of the stew, which is the name given to the stomach lining as it often appears dark after cooking, as if it had been charred like coal, is often used as a treat after the main dish, a final morsel of perfectly cooked food after the primary stew. However, for the hunters, the wanderers, and the people of the past, it was an essential item for survival, as after cooking you could take the Ugol' with you, and it kept for many days. El'fbatat are also extremely energizing, with one whole vegetable giving enough energy to walk 12 hours, and keeps the stomach full for longer to boot.
Components and tools
An Ugol' Ochag can have various additions to it depending on what vegetables and other meats might be available, but the most important part is the involvement of the Magnian Caribou. Not only are they the most frequent meat animal in the Cocytean Hills that chokes out most other life, but their meat is easy to cook and is very hearty. It's also essential for one other reason, their uniquely semi-porous stomach, when dried, creates the right kind of texture to boil the Ugol' of the dish. While you can use the dried stomach with a variety of other stew typings, most Magnians choose to use the whole Caribou anyways.
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